Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Salt Peanuts

Last night I played myself one of the Tresors du Jazztreasures of the year boxes released by Le Chant du Monde. These boxes are compiled by two great French record colletors and connoissseurs André Francis and Jean Schwarz. I played myself disc number 29, part of the 1953 box, at random, and the first tune that came out of my speakers was Salt Peanuts. This tune was recorded on the 15th of May 1953,55 years ago, by a band that is often labeled as The Quintet or The Quintet Of The Year, well, if I had to label in I would name it The Quintet of the Century. In my opinion this band must be the Ultimate All-Star Jazz Band of Heaven: Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass and Max Roach on drums. Can you mention a group with so much talent united in one quintet?

The tune Salt Peanuts reminds always to Dizzy Gillispie. He composed the tune late 1941 when he joined the Ella Fitzgerald Orchestra for three weeks, replacing Taft Jordan. During this short stay in the band Dizzy and Kenny Clarke, the drummer man, made an arrangement for a tune, which was based on a theme that was used in Count Basie's tune Basie Boogie, recorded half a year earlier or a riff previously played by John Kirby. Another suggestion is, that Dizzy played this riff in Little John Special and later arranged it to a new song. Never mind, Dizzy Gillespie made it to a tune, that was directly associated with him ..... If you love to sing along, well, it's rather easy: Salt Peanuts Salt Peanuts, that's all. I found a fragment of this tune played by Dizzy Gillespie in front of the Lucky Millinder's Band ca. 1947. Enjoy it .....

The tune became one of the standard tunes in early bebop, with that typically rhythm used in that new music style. One of the best versions is the one mentioned in the intro of this blog: the recordings made at the live concert at The Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada on the 15th of May 1953 with both Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker in a great roll.

The tune Salt Peanuts was also used in a part of Dizzy life, when he seriously thought about the possibility to run for President, after the murder of John F. Kennedy and the elections that followed. The tune Salt Peanuts was changed in Vote Dizzy Vote Dizzy. But he soon decided not to be a candidate, as he learned that the presidential elections where not in keeping with the principles of his faith. At the Monterey Jazz Festival he told the audience his decision: Upon reflection, I hereby withdraw, and the audience shouted disapointed ( or relieved?): Ah ! No, no no .....I found a version, to end this small tribute to this great song, played by a very young Israelian jazz piano player named Ariel, who gives his own interpretation to the tune, together with J.C. Jones on bass.

WANTED:Benny Rosenfeld is searching for a tape which contains a tv performance at the Spanish television. It is a concert by the Danish Radio Big Band featuring Michel Camillo. The film must be made in the fall of 1993. Benny Rosenfeld plays trumpet in that band for 33 years. Can someone help Benny to find a copy of that concert?keepswinging@live.nl